Chitral (princely state)
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| State of Chitral | |
  This article is part of the series: |
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| Capital |
Chitral Town |
| Area |
12,400 km² |
| Main language(s) | Persian
Khowar (colloquial) |
| Established | 1585 |
| Abolished | 28th July 1969 |
| Historic regions of Pakistan | |
| Original Provinces
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Former States |
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| Government of NWFP | |
- This article is about the former State of Chitral. For other uses, see Chitral.
The State of Chitral, or Chitrāl (Urdu: ریاست چترال), was a former princely state of Pakistan and British India which ceased to exist in 1969. The area of the state now forms part of the Chitral District in the North-West Frontier Province.
The former princely capital, Chitral Town, is situated on the west bank of the Chitral (or Kunar River) at the foot of Tirich Mir which at 7,708 m or 25,289 ft is the highest peak of the Hindu Kush.
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[edit] Population
The official language of the state was Persian but the general population was mainly of the Kho tribe, who spoke the Khowar language (or Chitrali), which is also spoken in parts of Yasin, Gilgit and Swat. Chitral was also famous for being home to the Kalash tribe who reside in three remote valleys southwest of Chitral Town.
[edit] History
From ancient times, Chitral was an important point on the trade routes from northern Afghanistan (ancient Bactria) and the Tarim Basin to the plains of Gandhara (in northern Pakistan), and the region near Jalalabad, in eastern Afghanistan.
In the second century CE, the area fell under the rule of the Kushans. The people converted to Islam in the eleventh century CE. Some are members of the Ismaili sect headed by the Aga Khan. Chitral was ruled by the Katur Mehtars who claimed descent from Tamerlane, through his descendant Sultan Abul Ghazi Baiqara of Herat.
From 1634 - 1712 it was under the sway of Badakhshan (in Afghanistan). Eventually Afghan expansionism led the Mehtars to build a relationship with nearby Kashmir and later directly with the British.
Chitral remained an autonomous state throughout British rule in India and after 1947 survived until it was incorporated into Pakistan on 28th July 1969. Chitral was the largest and richest of the Dardic principalities, to the point that it was considered an independent kingdom.
[edit] Government
The ruling family of Chitral was the Katur dynasty, founded by Shah Katur (1585-1630), which governed Chitral until 1969 when the government of Pakistan took over. During the reign of Mehtar Aman-ul-Mulk, known as Lot (Great) Mehtar, the dynasty's sway extended from Asmar in the Kunar Valley of Afghanistan to Punyal in the Gilgit Valley.
Tribes in Upper Swat, Dir Kohistan and Kafiristan (present day Nuristan, not to be confused with the Kalasha valleys which have always been an integral part of Chitral) paid tribute to the Mehtar of Chitral.
The ruler's title, Mehtar, is unique; his male descendants were styled Mehtarjao, equally rare, until the higher (Persian) royal style Shahzada, originally reserved for the Crown Prince (Tsik mehtar, again unique, as Heir Persumptive, becoming Wali-Akht Sahib when heir Apparent), was extended to all princes of the Mehtar's blood since the rulers at that point.
The scions of the Katur dynasty are still widely respected and honoured by the people of Chitral today, but the current Mehtar, H.H. Saif-ul-Mulk Nasir does not hold any royal powers.
| Tenure | Mehtars of Chitral |
|---|---|
| 1712 - 1745 | Sangalli |
| 1745 - Unknown date | Mohammad Beg |
| Unknown date - 1775 | Unknown ruler |
| 1775 - 1790 | Faramarz Shah of Yasin |
| 1790 - 1795 | Shah Afzal I |
| 1795 - 1798 | Shah Fazal |
| 1798 - Unknown date | Shah Khairullah Khuswaqte |
| Unknown date - 1818 | Mohtaram Shah II (1st time) |
| 1818 - 1820s | Nawaz Khan |
| 1820s - 1833 | Aman ul-Mulk I |
| 1833 - 1837 | Mohtaram Shah II (2nd time) |
| 1837 - 1853 | Shah Afzal II |
| 1853 - 1857 | Mohtaram Shah III |
| 1857 - 30th August 1892 | Aman ul-Mulk II |
| 30 August 1892 - 1 December 1892 | Afzal ul-Mulk |
| 1 December 1892 - 12 December 1892 | Shir Afzal Khan |
| 12 December 1892 - 1 January 1895 | Nizam ul-Mulk |
| 1 January 1895 - 2 September 1895 | Amir ul-Mulk |
| 1 May 1895 - 13 October 1936 | Shuja ul-Mulk |
| 13 October 1936 - 29 June 1943 | Mohammad Nasir ul-Mulk |
| 29 June 1943 - 7 January 1949 | Mohammad Muzaffar ul-Mulk |
| 7 January 1949 - 14 October 1953 | Saif ur-Rahman |
| 14 October 1953 - 28 July 1969 | Mohammad Saif ul-Mulk Nasir |
| 28 July 1969 | State of Chitral dissolved |
